[IxDA Discuss] Graphical methods for displaying time elapsed

[Will Parker]

A few more questions and observations:

  - Do the events have a variable duration?
  - Do events of a different class have different durations?
  - Can multiple events (either same class or different classes)  
overlap?
  - If overlap is possible, is that state worse than the worst single  
state? How should that 'super-bad' state be signaled?

All of the above will affect the design of your display.

  - Does the user have to take different kinds of actions to respond  
to different classes of events,
     or is the reaction merely a matter of different degrees of the  
same basic action?

  - Are you required to use visual signals for current-state alarms?
     How about sounds or haptic feedback via a buzzer in the user's  
mouse, joystick or chair?

If the controls to correct different classes of errors are in  
different locations, you might want to lay out your current-state  
alarm indicators so that the warning signal is close to the correct  
set of controls.

-Will

On Mar 2, 2007, at 1:57 PM, dnp607 wrote:
>
> This is a great suggestion Dmitri, thank you. Since there are only 3
> alarms (and there's little chance of that growing to more in the
> future), showing each of the alarms on a separate scrollable timeline
> would reduce confusion. Example:
>
> [alarm itself]: alarm timeline
>
> [AlarmA]: * * * A * * *
>
> [AlarmB]: * A * * * A *
>
> [AlarmC]: * * * * * * *
>
> ..and then be able to scroll the alarm timeline. There can also be a
> clear scale showing where in the 30 minute period the alarm occurred.
>
> -Dan
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------
> Dan Peknik * NASA Ames Research Center
>          San Jose State University, ID HF/E
> -------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Mar 2, 2007, at 1:18 PM, Dmitry Nekrasovski wrote:
>
>> Dan,
>>
>> Have you considered separate timelines for each type of alarm, with
>> highlighted segments/icons to indicate alarms that have occurred in
>> the past? These could be displayed in a sliding window, where one end
>> of the window corresponds to the current status and the other to 30
>> min in the past.
>>
>> Dmitry


- Will

Will Parker
wparker at ChannelingDesign.com
206-228-3187 (cell-preferred)
206-783-1943 (home office)


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